1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to sinks, specifically to an improved design that makes it easier to install faucets.
2. Description of Prior Art
The installation of a faucet onto a sink should be a simple task. Unfortunately, the space permitted between a sink basin and the wall is limited. This space limitation makes the assembly more difficult. The watertight compression fittings need to be tightened with a wrench in an area where maneuvering room is barely available. This preliminary obstacle has been overcome recently.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,016 to Sharwark (1996) discloses a method of mounting a water faucet without having to work in the enclosed area under the sink. Unfortunately, this method requires modification to both the sink and the faucet. If someone wants to install a new faucet and use the existing sink, this would pose a problem since the faucet described by Sharwark would have additional holes that could not be utilized by the installer. These holes may be considered to be unsightly and would easily fill up with dirt, food particles, or other residue commonly found in a sink area. Likewise, if someone needs to replace the sink but wants to continue using the same faucet, they cannot take advantage of the Sharwark invention. Additionally, the bolt heads securing the faucet to the sink are visible to anyone using the sink. The visibility of the bolt heads not only detract from the aesthetics of the faucet, they also provide unwanted crevices where food or dirt may collect. Likewise, this will make it more difficult to clean the sink faucet area.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,749 to Sauter et al. discloses a top mounted faucet assembly composed of a clamping mechanism that is drawn tight using screws accessed from the top side of the work area. While effective, this invention requires the faucet to be modified and therefore eliminates a large segment of the consumer market that may want to repair a faucet or replace the sink only. Additionally, the clamps, hinges, screws and associated hardware add many components that complicate the assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 2003/0221254 to McNerney et al. (2003) discloses a mounting plate that allows the faucet installer to work above the sink. The mounting plate that this patent teaches is only one portion of a more complex manifold with multiple moving parts similar to the Sauter patent (5,465,749) mentioned above. The manifold cannot be used universally for all types of faucet applications available on the market today. Other disadvantages to using this invention include complexity of design and cost of manufacture.